Fishing

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will oppose proposals from the European Commission for the phased introduction of vessel monitoring by satellite to all vessels down to 10 metres; and if she will request EU financing for mandatory fitting of VMS to UK vessels. [64509]

As yet there are no firm proposals to extend satellite monitoring to all vessels over 10 metres, although this is suggested in the Commission's road map to the reform of the CFP. Satellite monitoring has applied to vessels over 24 metres since 1 January 2000 and has made a significant contribution to the effectiveness of enforcement operations across the Community. There are obvious advantages in extending satellite monitoring and we shall need to consider carefully its impact on smaller vessels. It is too early to make any commitments on the issue of funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the(a) quantity and (b) value of fish quota purchased by the Shetland Fish Producers' Organisation in 1998 to 2002 for (i) cod, (ii) haddock, (iii) monk, (iv) coley and (v) hake. [63954]

Producer organisations have been able to acquire access to quota on behalf of their members by a number of means including buying up and cancelling fishing vessel licences but retaining the track record and FQA units, taking track record and FQA units from decommissioned fishing vessels and through agreements with their members and fishermen in other organisations. It is not he practice of the fisheries departments in the UK to disclose details of such transactions whether on an individual or collective basis. Moreover, the departments do not maintain records of the value of such transactions.